Dear Yogis,
I am hoping your absences at class are just the result of school holidays and covid, however, the break has given me a great time to catch up with doll making and “midnite darning” for various clients (and the web). I have had some most interesting items to mend – it will be some years before they are consigned to the Salvos. Regarding the studio – I will seriously consider closing during the school holidays in future – apart from art of course. Art and my own yoga practise does not turn off.
DOLLS
I am busy thinking about and making more dolls. The one on my mind at the moment is a variation on an Amishdoll. They had a particular dress, but the main difference is that they did not have faces drawn in.
The Amish believe only God can make a being in His own image..
One easy explanation would be that the Amish strive to live a simpler life, and so their dolls mimic the plain aesthetic the Amish display through their own humble, handmade clothes and possessions. The truth, however, is that Amish dolls rarely have distinguishing features like eyes, noses, mouths, fingers, or toes, and the reasons are rooted in some of the community’s most deeply-held beliefs.
The Amish look down on activities and possessions that would bring on feelings of vanity, superiority, or pride. This goes beyond dolls and other toys, as the Amish also shun printed or synthetic fabrics, musical instruments, and even electricity. Amish dolls, therefore, are plain rag dolls, sometimes stuffed with cotton or straw, made with the same natural, monochromatic fabrics with which the Amish clothe themselves: cotton, linen, muslin, and wool. The dolls are typically unadorned save for their minimalist outfits that mirror the clothes worn by Amish boys and girls.
The doll on the right, is NOT an Amish doll, but it is a rag/cloth doll of the kind I make. They are not small, being 40 to 50cms and taller. The sketch in the photo on the left above is of an Amish style doll that will be featured in my OPEN STUDIO EXHIBITION on the 16th and 17th of July between 2 and 4pm each day.
Amish dolls can be best described as plain rag dolls. They are used by both boys and girls, as Amish children don’t have many toys. Amish children are also seen wrapping wooden logs in blankets and pretending they are dolls. In the past, the dolls were stuffed with rags even straw, but nowadays cotton and polyester are often used as stuffings. In the past, the dolls were not washed, and when they got dirty, a new layer of cloth would be wrapped around them.
The “Orthodox” Amish follow the teachings of a 16th century Swiss Anabaptist named Jakob Ammann, who broke with the Mennonite church to promote the idea of following the Bible more literally while forsaking the secular and scientific advancements of the time. As is often noted, the Amish apply this line of thinking to a passage in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy that forbids man from creating “graven images” or other likenesses of man.
The Amish believe that all are equal in the eyes of God, that only God can create men and women, and so they tend to make sure that their dolls are featureless from top to bottom. I must say that mine are not, although in the case of my Amish dolls I try to make them different and creative whilst staying within the Church guidelines. They are faceless, and dressed in plain fabrics.
CURRENT STUDIO/ZOOM SCHEDULE: (Studio Yoga – Mondays at 1pm are Full) (PLEASE BOOK AHEAD – NO YOGA STUDIO DROP-INS, sorry)
ZOOM: Mon. 6.30 FREE OF CHARGE Teacher Training, Tues. Herb workshop 7.30 ($50 per month – part of the Bach Therapist Course only).
STUDIO YOGA:Mon. 1pm (full) 2.15pm, Wed. 1pm Restorative(vacancy for July only), 2.15pm Friday 2.15 Restorative.
Fridays only – If you book you can join us at 3pm for a short meditation session on Fridays only. Because it is the end of the class and I need to plan, you will need to book.
CONSULTATIONS: Zoom Tarot/Bach/QHHT HYPNOTHERAPY (a very powerful form of hypnotherapy), Bowen or a combo – by appointment only. $85 To discuss or book, email yogafirst2@bigpond.com
MONTHLY LUNCHEON: Thursday 28th July at 12noon at “The Vic” in Woodend (If you are running a bit late, relax, it’s OK – drop in for dessert. We have the meeting room, so it is separate and quieter). Please let me know if you can join us. We will post an invite closer to the day. RSVP PLEASE
WEEKLY MEETINGS: We have free Teacher Training zoomed on Mondays 6.30pm, and we began our yoga teacher asana class/meeting in the studio WHICH WE HAVE ORGANISED FOR EVERY SECOND SUNDAY BETWEEN 2 and 3pm. NEXT STUDIO TEACHER TRAINING CLASS Sunday 31st July at 2pm.
OPEN STUDIO. Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July, 2pm to 4pm BOTH DAYS. I have been looking forward to this right through Covid. Please pop in between 2 and 4pm on the day and see (purchase) paintings, my dolls and other goodies – herbs, smoking herbs, vintage items and fabulous pendulums. You can even have a PENDULUM lesson in using the one you purchase. Of course there will be champers and Christmas nibbles. It is after all July and we can have a CHRISTMAS IN JULY. . You can even come and discuss a tarot booking,
I WILL SEE YOU ON THE MAT (or zoom).
NAMASTE – JAHNE
I have spent the weekend cutting back the wisteria which in spring grows “triffid like” as you watch, as you can see from the photograph on the left. It reaches for the stars and I can often be found on a ladder trying to catch up.
“In the US this week, we saw the overturning of Roe v Wade. This move is devastating and such a huge step backwards for reproductive rights. 
Just a reminder that I am available for tarot readings over the zoom